A Journey into the World of Essential Oils

Essential Oils?

When someone around says, “oh man I’ve got a neck tension.” and your response is, “Oh I have peppermint oil if you’d like.” and they look at you like you’re a crazy weirdo, don’t lose your confidence homie. The more we look like weirdos, the more we spread the word! If you are reading this and you are the one who looked at someone like they were a weirdo for offering you peppermint oil for your neck tension. Keep on a reading yo! Let me please change your mind.

What in the world are essential oils?

Essential oils are volatile aromatic compounds found in seeds, barks, stems, flowers, roots and other parts of plants. What the heck are volatile aromatic compounds? I’m with ya, let me further explain. Volatile aromatic compounds are are small organic molecules that easily change the state they are in, from solid, liquid to gas. For example, let’s say you busted open your new bottle of lavender oil. The second you crack that bad boy open, you immediately smell the aroma. The physical and chemical state of the volatile aromatic compounds allow it to quickly connect to the olfactory sensors in your nose. By inhaling the essential oils, your body can quickly respond and retain the benefits.

Dang, right! And this is only one way essential oils are beneficial. Lets talk about how they actually work.

Wait, how the heck do they work?

Let me break it down easily, our cells including our brain have essentially a layer of fat that surrounds them and protects them from harm. Essential oils are essentially a form of fat. Fat and fat go hand in hand. Kind of like how bacon grease makes everything taste better when you use it to cook! Oh sorry, I got side tracked with bacon! Anyway, essential oils are one of the few things that can actually penetrate that layer of protective fat. Thus allowing all the benefits of that oil to work with your body to heal it. This includes the blood brain barrier, that layer of fat that I mentioned that surrounds your brain. Can you believe it! Essential oils can actually penetrate through that layer giving you incredible results.

Essential oils are a natural substance. Our bodies are designed to metabolize them with little to no effort. Have you ever noticed that when you take a specific medication you notice you’re more tired, nauseous, your stomach may hurt….. whatever it may be, you just don’t feel right sometimes? Essential oils easily pass through our body’s system and allows the body to start healing itself the way it was designed to.

Small example, Ylang Ylang will speed up ones heart rate but is used for maintaining an already healthy blood pressure. I know, you’re like wait what! Wouldn’t your increase if your heart rate speeds up? But in the case of a natural substance like essential oils, no. They allow your body to do exactly what it was meant to do to heal itself.

What in the world!!! Is this for real! Yes, yes it is! Is your mind blown yet, cause mine is!

A wee bit about quality.

Did you know that essential oils are not regulated by the FDA? What does this mean? This means, companies are legally able to put 100% pure, therapeutic grade or all natural as long as that bottle contains at least 5% actual essential oil. The rest of the bottle is allowed to be filled with synthetic oil, carrier oil or other toxic chemical.

Ever wonder why essential oils say DO NOT INGEST, DO NOT USE WHILE PREGNANT OR NURSING, DO NOT USE ON CHILDREN.

Why? If oils are a natural substance and our bodies are made to metabolize them, then why can’t we ingest them? I have come to find that many people fear oils for this reasons. They feel like they are toxic in a sense so they tend to stay away from them. Obviously some oils, because of the herb, have their own safety guidelines but could quality be the reason for these warnings. When buying oils you want to buy from a company that has a certified pure seal. This means that each oil has gone through multiple, rigorous testing to ensure that what is in that bottle is actually pure essential oil. When a company is true to their quality, they will provide all third party testing information.

Okay, I’m feeling better about essential oils but how the F do I use them?

You can use essential oils in three different ways, topically, aromatically, and internally.

Topically:

Remember, essential oils are a “volatile” compound meaning it evaporates quickly. To apply topically simply use a carrier oil such as fractionated coconut oil, almond oil, jojoba oil, even olive oil. This allows the essential oil to stay on your skin for a longer period of time, which gives it enough time to enter your pores and begin doing its magic.

Best places to put the oil. Neck, chest, back of neck, wrists, temples and/or bottoms of feet.

Aromatically:

Diffusing oils in a diffuser is a fantastic way to benefit from oils. The oils travel through the air and are absorbed by your smell receptors. You can also place a drop or two on your palm and inhale the oils that way. Using oils aromatically is still allowing the oils to enter your body. It still allows them to penetrate your cells. So using a less quality oil in your diffuser is not the best way to go. Often times I hear that people will use the good stuff on them and their kids then use the crappy stuff from the store in their diffuser. IT’S STILL ENTERING YOUR BODY! Use the good stuff all around.

Internally:

Now, here is why quality is extremely important.

You are not going to just go to the grocery store and pick an oil off the shelf and take it internally. There is a reason why most oils say do not ingest. Quality! So please, please be mindful and purchase from a reputable company that completely provides all quality testing information. A company that stands by their product and puts directly on their bottle: “For internally use take one drop in 4 oz of water”

So, with that said. You can take oils by placing in liquid, or in food to cook with or by placing a drop or two in a veggie capsule.

Sold! But wait, where in the heck do I buy these oils from, since quality is so important?

doTERRA, is the only company I feel 100% confident taking internally, using topically and using on my children. That is a huge plus. When my kids are in need, I reach for oils to help heal. When I am in need, I reach for the oils. When my husband has an issue, first question is, “did you use an oil?” This is our family’s source of health. A natural solution that makes us feel incredible. Quality is what you need in a natural resource and doTERRA gives you just that. The extent they take to ensure each bottle of oil is cared for, is an incredible feeling. They not only take care of the farmers they buy from, they take care of my family and for that, doTERRA is the only company I trust.

Happy essential oiling!

If you would like advise on where to start in your oil journey, leave a comment below. If you want to know what oil is best for a specific ailment, comment below or email me. If you would like more information on doTERRA, please send me an email or comment below. I would love to help guide you anyway I can.

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FDA Dislcaimer

The information provided in this blog are for educational purposes only. All products sold on this blog have not been evaluated by the FDA. They are not intended to treat, cure, diagnose or prevent any disease. You should contact your health care provider for guidance.